DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Protection of municipality owned parking meters has become a big problem. This protection need extends to vandalism which includes the willful destruction of the parking meter and/or the timing mechanism therein. Protection against the entry into the coin box of the parking meter by unauthorized persons to remove the coins therein is also needed. A protective alarm system using a radio transmitter and receiver is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,061 to GERVASI et al. as issued on Sept. 21, 1965. In this and other protective alarm systems the particular problem of the exposure of the parking meter to vandalism and appropriate police protection and apprehension has not been achieved.
Attempts to protect parking meters against vandalism and unlawful entry include making the housings of the parking meters of a much heavier construction such as nodular iron. This still does not prevent the cutting of the post and removal of the complete meter. Access to the coin box by use of a key illegally obtained or copied is also a problem. Alarm systems using wire conductors such as in fire and police system call boxes in large municipalities have been suggested but the cost of having the wires below the sidewalks or street is too great and the possibility of cutting or shorting the inbedded wires is also large.
Radio transmitters in parking meters has been proposed for at least twenty years and this invention does not suggest or propose that the radio receivers and transmitters are to be reinvented. Short range radio transmitters and receivers have been and are used by the million units in garage door opening devices and in C.B. (Citizens Band) radio transmitters and receivers. It is contemplated that frequencies available to municipalities will be used.
It is also recognized that installation of a large percentage of the detecting devices will be into existing parking meters. In many of these cases the bolt securing the housing to the post is rusted and or otherwise is frozen and removal of the bolt is impossible or impractical. Where and when this is the condition in the existing parking meter, means must be provided for the detecting of vandal removal of the parking meter by cutting the pipe on which it is mounted. Attitude or level switch means is provided for both new and existing meter installations. Prior inventions and patents pertaining to parking meter alarms have shown a radio transmitter enclosed within a parking meter and a radio receiver located some distance therefrom. The present invention uses a radio transmitter and receiver and proposes to cover the various aspects of vandalism to a parking meter which includes unauthorized opening of both the cover and the coin access door. In addition there is provided a timing device which insures that the parking meter signal is continued for a certain definite period of time, an indicator device or monitor is adapted to indicate that vandalism in the form of striking or cutting off the parking meter is noted. A level or attitude measuring device is provided with this vandalism alarm device so that a bending of the pipe is detected. After ascertaining that the parking meter is still intact an observer can report to the monitor which then removes the monitor's signal which can then be shut off as far as immediate detection or indication is concerned. The sawing off or severing of the pipe support for the meter is detected by either of the two means fully described hereinafter. The present invention is directed particularly to the detection of vandalism to a parking meter as now occurs in the larger cities where vandalism for profit or malicious mischief is deliberately done to a parking meter. Rapid detection of vandalism is made by the monitor who relays this information usually to radio equipped vehicles generally patrol or police cars.